Tempelhof Airport: Thomas Ling: Berlin

After its previous life as a lifeline for West Berlin during the Cold War, the Tempelhof airport is now Berlin’s largest park.

Name: Thomas Ling

Occupation: Photographer

From: Adelaide

Location: Tempelhof airport, Berlin

My girlfriend and I had spent five months over the European summer living out of our van that we had bought in the UK. As a way to escape the cold back home, we drove from Ireland all the way south through the Netherlands, Western Europe and into Morocco.

I ended up selling our van back in the UK much quicker than expected, actually on the first day I arrived back in Folkestone after leaving France. As a result, I had time to kill before flying home, so I booked $50 return flights from London to Berlin. Berlin is wild, its culture is steeped in a rich and chilling history that is still evident all over the city. A good friend said I must visit Tempelhof airport, an abandoned airfield in the centre of the city. As a result, I shot this small series on a beautiful 25-degree day using Portra400 film.

After its previous life as a lifeline for West Berlin during the Cold War, the Tempelhof airport is now Berlin’s largest park. Originally constructed in 1927, this site is now under threat from commercial developers. I was stoked to snap these shots considering in a number of years it may be torn down.